Golf club construction



Oct-r 3 L. A. YOUNG GOLF CLUB CONSTRUCTION Fild May 16 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR -ATTO RN EYS OQL 9, 1934. l YOUNG I 1,975,822

I GOLF CLUB CONSTRUCTION Filed May 16. 1932 2 SheetsSheet 2 ATTORNEYS ,lB this deflector lip wall may be made Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED STAT S GOLF CLUB CONSTRUCTION Leonard A. Young, Detroit, Mich. Application May 16, 1932, Serial No. 611,562

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in golf clubs and more particularly to iron clubs of the niblic type which are commonly used to loft the ball out of sand traps and other difficult places 5 where distance is not the main essential of flight but where it is most desirable to loft the ball and impart to it, a back spin.

In Patent #l,695,598 of Dec. 18, 1928, an improved club of the niblic type is shown, wherein 1 the blade is formed at its underside, with a deflector lip to prevent the blade from digging into the earth beneath the ball which would tend to impart distance instead of loft without forward run, to the ball. It is noted, however, that is located well toward the rear edge of the blade and rearwardly of the shank of the blade which would tend to tilt the rear edge of the blade upwardly and its forward edge downwardly, causing this forward edge to dig into the earth. It is also noted that the heavy part of the blade is located adjacent the forward edge of the blade which would further tend to hold this edge down.

An object of ap licants present construction is to provide a club of the niblic type having a deflector lip, which club will conform to the present rules of the game, in that it is of the proper weight and the upper face of the blade of which is an inclined plane, the blade being of the regulation size and shape. It is also an object to provide a construction wherein the weight of the club head is so disposed, as to tend to throw the forward edge of the blade upwardly, and the shank of the blade is so located relative 3 to the forward edge of the blade as to tend to lift and accurately control the said forward edge of the blade, thus preventing said edge from digging into the earth below the ball.

A further object is to so locate the deflector lip 1*? relative to the forward edge of the blade, that said lip will have the effect of thickening the forward portion of the blade to prevent its excessive entrance into the earth below the ball, and direct or deflect said forward edge upwardly, without materially affecting the swing of the club. It is also an object to prevent dirt, etc., from accumulating in the space between blade and lip, and to brace and strengthen said lip so that its thin and will add but little weight to the club.

It is also an object to provide certain new and useful features in the particular construction, all as hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference -3 is so connected at one :being had to the accompanying drawings whereclub head showing the under side thereof at a different angle from that of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation of the club head with the blade and lip thereof in transverse section;

Fig. 5 is a perspective similar to Fig. 3 and showing a modified construction; and Fig. 6 is a sectional View similar to Fig. l and showing the modified construction with blade and lip in transverse section substantially upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. I

As shown in the drawings, 1 indicates the usual club shaft, the lower end 'of which is secured any suitable manner within the shank 2 of the club head which comprises the blade 3 of the usual oval configuration in plan view and be neath which blade is a deflector lip 4. The blade 80 end with the shank 2, that when said shank is in an upright position, said blade will extend in a rearwardly and upwardly inclined position relative to the swing of the club in use, and to the horizontal. The-upper or ball contacting surface of this blade is 'a plane surface or flat, but may, if found desirable, be formed with ribs or otherwise roughened, as is common in niblic clubs, to engage the ball and impart thereto a back spin. Beneath the blade 3 is the lip 4, this lip being preferably formed of thin sheet metal with its forward edge preferably welded to said blade along the forward edge of said blade, as at 5, and this lip is curved transversely to present afi lower curved face, curved downwardly from said edge 5, thence upwardly toward its rear edge, said lip extending the full length of the blade 3-from a point substantially opposite the longitudinal center line of the shank 2, to the outer end 01, the blade, and also curved in the direction of its length upwardly toward its ends, to meet the blade at the ends thereof. This lip is therefore curved downwardly, both transversely and longitudinally, and its free rear edge is preferably, curved or rounded in the direction of its length to conform somewhat to the curved or rounded rear edge of the blade, from the lower surface of which blade, said lip edge is separated by a considerable distance, forming the mouth of the notch or pocket 6 thus formed between lip and blade.

As said lip 4 is welded or otherwise made integral with the forward edge of said blade as at 5, and curves downwardly, somewhat from said edge, said edge is somewhat blunt and. therefore when the club is swung to loft a ball out of a sand trap or other difficult lie, this forward edge will cut beneath the ball but will have no tendency to dig into the earth, said edge being deflected upwardly by the downwardly curved surface of the lip leading rearwardly from said edge 5. The ball thus coming in direct contact with the upper, upwardly and rearwardly inclined upper surface of the blade, will be lifted and given a back spin by this surface.

It will also be noted that the shank 2, which is comparatively short, is formed integral with the end of the blade 3 at a short distance rearwardly of the foremost advanced portion of the forward edge 5 of the blade, or well around the end of said blade, the base of said shank being rounded or fiared'as at 8 to merge gradually into the blade, and thus a good balance of the blade is secured which greatly assists in accurately directing the edge 5 just beneath the ball, and to further balance the club, the blade 3 is gradually increased in thickness from its forward edge 5 rearwardly, having a thick rear edge 7 and thus distributing the weight to give proper balance and bringing the preponderance of weight of the blade toward the rear side of the head where it will tend to lift the forward edge 5 thereof and tend to prevent this edge from digging into the earth.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a slight modification of the construction is shown, in that the rear end of the pocket 6 is closed by a substantially vertical wall 9 which is a continuation of the rear edge of the bottom wall of the lip 4, said wall being secured in any suitable manner along its upper edge, to the lower side of the blade 3, by inserting said edge in a groove 10 in said blade, welding it thereto or otherwise firmly attaching it to the under side of said blade. This wall 9 thus closes the space or pocket 6 between lip and blade to keep out dirt, etc., and also to brace and strengthen the said lip which is preferably thin and light and would, therefore, without such bracing, be easily bent and distorted.

Having thus fully described my invention, its preferred construction, its operation and advantages, what I claim is:

l. A golf club including a shank, a blade on said shank inclined rearwardly and upwardly from its forward edge relative to said shank, and a lip beneath said blade secured at its forward edge to the forward edge of said blade andforming a thin wall extending rearwardly from said forward edge of said blade, said wall and blade forming a space which commences immediately at said forward edges, said wall being extended at its rear edge to meet said blade and close said s ace.

2. A golf club including a shank, a blade on said shank inclined rearwardly and upwardly from its forward edge relative to said shank, and a lip beneath said blade secured at its forward edge to the forward edge of said blade, said lip forming a thin bottom wall extending rearwardly from said edge and provided at its rear edge with an upwardly extending thin wall meeting and secured to the under side of said blade to brace said bottom wall and close the space between said blade and lip.

3. A golf club including a blade having plane upper and lower surfaces and of increasing thickness from its forward edge rearwardly, a shank projecting from one end of said blade and holding said blade in a rearwardly and upwardly inclined position relative to said shank, and a thin lip of uniform thickness secured along the for-- ward portion thereof to the forward edge portion of said blade and extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom beneath said blade and spaced therefrom and formed with an upwardly extending wall along its rear edge meeting and secured to the lower side of said blade to close said space and brace said lip.

4. A golf club including a shank, a blade on I said shank inclined rearwardly and upwardly from its forward edge relative to said shank, and a lip beneath said blade secured at its forward edge to the forward edge of said blade and,

forming a thin wall extending rearwardly from said forward edge of said blade, said wall and blade forming a space which commences immediately at said forward edges. 

